BC’s low snapack and early melted sign dry, elevating issues for hydro energy
The province’s latest snapack and water supply bulletin says that the hot weather in British Columbia last month contributed to an early melting last month.
Drought, in turn, is curbing the BC’s ability to generate hydroelectric generation, where most of the power of the province comes, former Provincial Environment Minister Barry Penner said, said, who now chaired the Energy Futures Institute.
Penner said that BC is on track to become a net importer of electricity in 2025, buying it from the United States for third consecutive year.
US President Donald Trump is threatening Canadian sovereignty as a power gap, and Trump said after slapping the tariff standing on Canadian accessories, the penner said.
BC River Forecast Center released May 2025 Snopack Level Report
Here in Caribu-Chillkotin:
Quesnel Snowpack (CRD region A, B, C, D, E, F and with a part of region I – with Quesnel/Williams Lake and District of Wales) – For May) – 79%of the general snowopack…
He said in an interview on Monday, “We have someone in the White House who is actively threatening our country, financially,” he said in an interview on Monday.
“And in BC right now, it is at the end of obtaining (electricity) from the United States. This is not another way on a pure basis.”
Penner compared the snowopack to “electricity in the bank”. At the time of drought, he said that BC Hydro keeps water in its reservoirs, so it is there during the peak period.
“They are holding back and importing to make the difference.”
The latest provincial bulletin suggests that the average of the common was 71 percent of the general until 1 May, declining 79 percent from normal on 1 April.
This figure is slightly higher than the previous year, when the BC’s snapack was 66 percent on an average which would be normal on 1 May.
In early May, Bulletin stated that about five percent of the BC’s annual snipack was generally melted, but by the beginning of this month, 15 percent were melted.
The forecast of low snowopack, early snomelt and warm seasonal weather is “elevated drought” in this summer, the conclusion of bulletin.
Rivers on Vancouver Island, in the south coast and northeast BC, where Snomemelt is not a significant contributor in this spring, in the early days of “bulletin notes” “records” at the low level “,” Bulletin Note.
Penner said that drought is a factor in the declining power generation of BC.
“If you look at the annual reports of BC Hydro, you can see it. How much power we have actually made, there has been a significant decrease in it.”
This coincides with the increasing demand for power, the penner said, “In summer, focus on extreme demand is increasing because more people buy air conditioners.”
A dry-to-common January has translated into a bottom-average snapack in February. The new data of the province suggests that the BC snowopack is about 72 percent normal. As Mitchell Gomez reports, experts say that if the rainfall does not increase then it increases the possibility of drought.
The BC government announced a second call for power last week, which will come with the target of generating energy from renewable sources – 5,000 gigawatt hours per year – just a large -scale site C dam is expected to be generated in the northern BC under 5,100 gigawatt hours.
It follows a call for electricity in 2024, resulting in a partial confirmation of 10 new Akshaya-energy projects partially owned by the first nations.
Penner said that the news of the second call is soon an indication that the government knows that there is a “serious issue” and it is trying to respond.
Nevertheless, Penner said that projects would take a few years to come online.
Meanwhile, he said that BC should look at measures to reduce electricity demand, such as removing or modeling electric vehicle mandate and using natural gas instead of American electricity to fill gaps.
The snowopack bulletin notes that spring and summer temperature and rainfall will also be the major factors that will affect the drought conditions.
The seasonal weather forecast from the environment Canada indicates the greater possibility of the above normal temperature in the BC through July in late April.
Bulletin stated that May Northern BC is expected to be more wet than normal in some parts of Northern BC, while it is expected to dry in the south.
On May 1, the snowfack level was normally “well” well “well” in the upper fraser vest, lower thumpon, nicola, bridge, scagit, Central Coast, Similkemen and Skaina-Nas Basins.
There is no elevated flood risk based on the current snake. However, in areas with low snapacks, bulletin notes move major flood risk towards heavy rainfall, either short -term events or long wet weather duration.
“It is important to note that May and June are wet months with capacity for extreme rainfall patterns through the interior,” it says, the flood season may grow in July and the northeast.
Bulletin said, “Therefore, rain posed a threat of flood through spring with limited snapacks.”
